Hoosier Patriot Memorial

Memorial Day 2015

The Hoosier Patriot Memorial was the site of the 2015 Memorial Day Ceremony at Washington Park East Cemetery. The ceremony featured a 21-gun howitzer salute by the Indiana National Guard. Also included in the program was the unveiling of names of two Indiana military personnel who have died in service since Memorial Day 2014: Staff SGT Matthew R. Ammerman, U.S. Army, and CPL Jordan L. Spears, U.S. Marines. Pictured from left to right are: Indiana Governor Michael R. Pence; Major General R. Martin Umbarger, the adjutant General of Indiana; Bruce W. Buchanan, owner of Flanner and Buchanan; and Indianapolis Mayor Gregory A. Ballard.

Our Purpose

Judge Paul H. Buchanan, Jr., commented on the purpose of the memorial: “To build a memorial to the men and women of the Indiana National Guard, both Army and Air. This memorial should remember the past, be relevant to the present, and carry its impact into the future. We not only want to recognize their individual sacrifices, but also celebrate their service.”

The setting, on the grounds of Washington Park East Cemetery, Funeral Center and Community Life Center, is visible to those driving by Washington Street, the Old National Road. Located in the southeast corner of the grounds, the Memorial is comprised of a fountain in Lake Potomac; a glass background (containing an etching of the traditional Minuteman); “The Rescue,” a larger-than-life bronze statue of a Guardsman in modern gear, holding a child, sculpted by Bill Wolfe; and bricks, benches, and flag poles.

Be a part of Indiana’s first Memorial to the Indiana National Guard

This Memorial, completed in late 2007, is the culmination of a project that took seed in October 2002, when Flanner and Buchanan sponsored, for the first time in Indiana history, the first public “welcome home” ceremony for members of the Indiana National Guard returning from active duty in Bosnia.

Since that time, the idea of celebrating and commemorating the notion of the citizen/soldier, the National Guard member, grew from discussion to concept to the decision to erect the Memorial tribute.



There are various ways you can show your support for the Indiana National Guard. Several levels of giving are available, making it affordable for everyone to become a supporter of this structure that will be dedicated to those who have served from the Guard’s formation in 1801 to the present and into the future.

Location

Location of the memorial on the grounds of Washington Park East Cemetery: The entire memorial is located east/southeast of Lake Potomac in the southeast corner of the Washington Park East Cemetery property. The memorial, which is lighted at night, is visible to motorists traveling along E. Washington St., U.S. 40, The National Road.